Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted to an addiction center

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted to an addiction center. Methods: The medical files of 4990 patients were analyzed retrospectively. Results: 88.6% (n = 4421) of the patients were male, and the mean age was 33.51 +/- 11.01 years. Substance use disorder was diagnosed in 78.5% (n = 3916) of the patients, alcohol use disorder in 20.3% (n = 1013), and prescription drug use in 1.1% (n = 57). Nearly three-quarters (72.7%, n = 2847) had multiple substance use 22.3% (n = 872) only used heroin, and 5% (n = 197) only used cannabis. 56.9% (2194/3856) of the patients had poor family relations, and 22.7% (96/422) were exposed to domestic violence. It was found that 77.9% (3882/4986) started the substance under the influence of their friends. One-fifth (20.4%, 979/4807) had intravenous substance use and 38.1% (94/247) reported non-sterile syringe sharing. We found that 10.3% (n = 512) had a blood-borne infectious disease, the most common of which was hepatitis C (n = 441). Conclusion: Our study revealed the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with substance use disorder. Knowing these features is very important for prevention and treatment strategies.